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Jody Jazz Jet

24K views 56 replies 12 participants last post by  BH9 
#1 ·
I've got one of these on order. Probably won't have a lot of use for it but it is inexpensive and should be fun.

 
#5 · (Edited)
I ordered the .120. Will take pics. I don't see any descriptions of the design on JJ's website, other than that it's a short facing and small chamber.

Tevis does not sound very bright in the video, but it's just a youtube video, so you know, maybe not sonically accurate?

So, it shipped today. We'll see.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like a pretty traditional rollover baffle-type mouthpiece to me unless that guy had an exceptionally stuffy reed on it.

So I went to JJ to look at it and it is not a completely traditional design as it does have a very understated angle break in the baffle which places the baffle 'higher' (closer to the reed) until angle break. I would say the baritone player did in fact have what I would call a 'bad' reed on it. On the JJ site, a tenor player makes it sound pretty good.
 
#8 ·
Got it last night, and I only had a few minutes to try it , but yes it is BRIGHT. And LOUD. By comparison my V-16 is a very dark mouthpiece. So are the RPC and Metallites. Free blowing, barely any resistance.

I don't know if I can use this in a big band section or not, but am planning to try it at a rehearsal later this week. Perfect for Rock, R&B, blues, funk.

Pictures later.
 
#11 ·
Got it last night, and I only had a few minutes to try it , but yes it is BRIGHT. And LOUD. By comparison my V-16 is a very dark mouthpiece. So are the RPC and Metallites. Free blowing, barely any resistance.

I don't know if I can use this in a big band section or not, but am planning to try it at a rehearsal later this week. Perfect for Rock, R&B, blues, funk.

Pictures later.
My advice is to live with it for awhile. My JET tenor seemed out of this world at first, but after a couple of weeks I settled into it and it's my main piece now. I still sound like me, but a little bit better than I used to.
 
#9 ·
I bought a Jet Tenor 7, had it about a month now. Must say it's bright and loud and very easy to play. It's much more even and smooth through the full range of the horn. Great altissimo and great low notes. I think the brightness can be tamed using different reeds. It's more responsive and fun to play than any mouthpiece I've ever had, and I've had a lot!
 
#28 ·
What a well crafted and 'narrated" review!>! Super "composition" in the video!... I wish all the testers took a page from your book.

I think your conclusion is spot on too.

Thank you very much for that.
 
#13 ·
I end up sounding like me on any mouthpiece, no matter how extreme it first seems. You can hear huge differences in the video, but if I lived with any of them for a week then took it to a recording session it would sound like, well, me playing bari.
 
#14 ·
Well, yeah. Most of us are that way. But, some mouthpieces do make it far easier to project, or less work to play dark and quiet, whatever the case may be :)
 
#19 · (Edited)
I'd like to know what reeds he's using too. Mine is much brighter than my other mouthpieces, it isn't a subtle thing at all.

Haven't had time to try a lot of different reeds on it, but for sure a jazz select 2H filed is pure blattiness. I'm keeping it for the hell of it, but the V16 is a much better mouthpiece for me.

edit: Starting to come around to this mouthpiece.
 
#20 ·
I just started playing a Jet 8 on tenor and am really surprised by the fullness and ease of control. I was expecting a small chamber bright piece like this was not going to be able to work well win my straight ahead quartet/quintet setting but it settles in nicely. Even using Rigotti Gold 3M reeds it is not over bearing at all, though it can be when pushed. I expect the bari to be the same. I will say that the Rico H lig that comes with the piece does seem to "tame" the brightness, volume, and resistance a tiny bit. I know, lig voodoo and all that, but in all seriousness I can throw on my Vandoren Optimum lig and the same setup instantly becomes a little more free blowing and louder in comparison. I would imagine that is what we are hearing from that vid, and maybe a reed that is slightly to hard.

On a side note, I had the privilege of actually being at the JJ factory when they finished the Jet Bari prototype and got to be in the pic they posted on Facebook announcing it...lol. George Garzone happened to be there that weekend as well and got to see him play that night with Jody's group.:mrgreen:
 
#21 ·
I read on JJ's website that this mouthpiece might need a softer reed, so I bought some Jazz Select 2Hs. those are not soft enough (for me). Put on a plasticover 2 and it's making a lot more sense. I'm thinking orange box.

Tried to show the slope, and steep drop off. Sorry about the visible "condensation".

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#22 ·
I read on JJ's website that this mouthpiece might need a softer reed, so I bought some Jazz Select 2Hs. those are not soft enough (for me). Put on a plasticover 2 and it's making a lot more sense. I'm thinking orange box.

Tried to show the slope, and steep drop off. Sorry about the visible "condensation".

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Many thanks for posting these as they really help in giving me some basis for comparing my JJ DV with the Jet. I didn't see that statement about the softer reed on JJ's website. I'd be curious to hear Jody's comments on why that would be the case.
 
#23 ·
It's a very short facing with a very open tip, so that requires a more flexible reed vs a longer facing. Degrees of arc, etc...

Just guessing.

How would you say the DV compares, just looking? I've been coveting one of those, but need to justify.
 
#24 ·
The regular DV has a short high rollover and than a long straight baffle with steep drop into the chamber so it doesn't have that intermediate step the Jet in your pictures appears to have about an inch back from the tip.

That's an interesting thought about the short facing and it does make sense. Typically I prefer longer facings so if that is true the Jet might not be a good match for me. It just seems strange since most of Jody's pieces are designed to blow very easily so to have one with more built in resistance is quite different for him
 
#26 ·
Okay - now I'm really confused. I move toward softer reeds when a mouthpiece has more resistance. If it blows very easily, which would be typical of a JJ piece, why do you feel you need softer reeds??

I play RJS 3S or 3M, #3 Rico Royals or Plasitcovers, and lately (cause I got a really good deal on a box of these) #3 1/2 Orange box on my DV 8 (.120) though I sometimes go a little softer at certain times of the year when it is very dry and reeds seem not to be working as well.
 
#27 ·
Yes, I can see how that might be confusing. My usual is RJS 3M or 3S, but with those on it wasn't really hard to blow, it just didn't seal well and was kind of blatty. It works better, and sounds better with a lower resistance than I'm used to.

Make sense? That's why I didn't immediately move to a softer reed when I didn't like it so much at first. It wasn't hard to blow. Sounds much better with a softer reed on.

I definitely recommend a try out. This is going to be my main mouthpiece, pretty sure. I think I can back off and blend with a section, or use it for anything but a quartet really. You know how easy it is to return mpcs to Jody if you don't like.

Also, it's perfectly finished, and the ligature fits like a glove. My optimum will not fit, but the rico is fine. I'm not a big fan of the graphics, but that is no big deal, and they will probably wear off anyway.
 
#30 ·
Yes, I can see how that might be confusing. My usual is RJS 3M or 3S, but with those on it wasn't really hard to blow, it just didn't seal well and was kind of blatty. It works better, and sounds better with a lower resistance than I'm used to.

Make sense? That's why I didn't immediately move to a softer reed when I didn't like it so much at first. It wasn't hard to blow. Sounds much better with a softer reed on.

I definitely recommend a try out. This is going to be my main mouthpiece, pretty sure. I think I can back off and blend with a section, or use it for anything but a quartet really. You know how easy it is to return mpcs to Jody if you don't like.

Also, it's perfectly finished, and the ligature fits like a glove. My optimum will not fit, but the rico is fine. I'm not a big fan of the graphics, but that is no big deal, and they will probably wear off anyway.
Yes - thanks for clearing that up. It does make sense and probably more on bari than on tenor or alto. I can see with that big a tip opening how a softer reed might lay better and flex in a way that gives you the sound you want. Do you find you need to back off at all on the low B, Bb, and A to keep them from breaking up at volume with the softer reed, and any issues with the palm keys speaking? These are the things that I have issue with if I try to use a reed that's too soft.
 
#33 ·
I agree with High Fly about the nice comparison video of Instrument Attic.
A nice comparison including the different styles. Especialy I like the direct comparison of the short phrases !

I'm currently have for a test the JJJ (JodyJazz Jet) in an alto version / baritone version. Tenor version also ordered "jet".
Perhaps not the the very best pieces of their category, but with a great price-/performance-ratio.
I'Ve currently fun to test the alto / baritone-pieces.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I was having some problems finding a reed that works on this mouthpiece, to the point that I thought maybe something was wrong with the facing. I think short facings are less tolerant of imperfect reeds? So, I finally found a combination that works extremely well for me, so that I'm getting results closer to the Attic's ( a better player than I). Put on a Legere signature and it works a charm. No squeaks or blats, plays easily through the whole range either with plenty of power or softly. I using a #2 Legere signature on my 8 facing Jet. It could take a little bit harder reed, but for now this is great. Used it last night in a big-band section, with a few rock arrangements, and it was perfect for both the smooth stuff and the loud. Easy!

Edit:
After playing it for a few weeks, and threatening to go off the mouthpiece grid, this is what I play now. Everything else sounds muffled or muted, but the Jet is not only bright, the big core is there too. Huge dynamic and tonal range is possible with this piece.

I'm going to try Jets on my tenor and alto also.
 
#38 ·
Does the JJ Jet Bari piece have a lower beak than a Berg Larsen or Vandoren V16?
 
#42 ·
To do it properly you'll need a glass gauge and a set of feeler gauges.
http://www.mojomouthpiecework.com/D...ery/SlideShowPopup.aspx?PortalID=0&ItemID=213

The measurement itself isn't difficult but doing it repeatedly and getting the same result can be challenging. You could just e-mail Jody and ask. They may or may not tell you but I don't think the facing length in and of itself is proprietary the way the whole facing curve would be. It may be just as useful to know how it compares to the DVs or other JJ pieces in relative terms, for example; is it longer or shorter and with a tighter or wider radius. I tend to prefer pieces that have average to longer facings so I'm a little reluctant to layout the money for one that has a shorter facing if that is the case.
 
#43 ·
He's just measuring the length as a straight line. I guess that's convention? It would be easy to mark a (perfectly placed) reed at the break and then measure the length of the reed, but that measurement would include the radius and is probably not useful. Even if you get good repeatability.

I don't have a DV or any other Jody Jazz mouthpiece, but this one is obviously short by eyeball method. Had problems with it until I realized that you have to place the reed more precisely than on a longer facing.
 
#44 ·
He's just measuring the length as a straight line. I guess that's convention? It would be easy to mark a (perfectly placed) reed at the break and then measure the length of the reed, but that measurement would include the radius and is probably not useful. Even if you get good repeatability.

I don't have a DV or any other Jody Jazz mouthpiece, but this one is obviously short by eyeball method. Had problems with it until I realized that you have to place the reed more precisely than on a longer facing.
Placing the reed on the mouthpiece or each mouthpiece the same way would be tricky.

There are two different types of glass gauges one that the lines start at the very end and another that they begin a little (maybe a 1/4 inch) from the end and different folks prefer one over the other. Either way you line the tip of the mouthpiece up with the start of the scale. Then you just slide the (I think) the .002 feeler in until it stops and read the gauge. The most important thing is that the feeler gauge basically stops in the same place on both rails which tell you your rails are even. You can really use anything flat or even a new reed and a business card to do this in a quick dirty way to see if a facing is more or less even.
 
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